The Ocean’s Breath
by sKaEtrgrL
Summary: Percy died, leaving Annabeth with two children. 15 years later, the Daughter of Athena finally finds the stolen soul of her lover, the Son of Poseidon who never found his way to Elysium...


**A/N: I'm currently in Monterey, because my family goes every year, and earlier on the beach I was digging a hole. Now, I know this sounds strange, a 17 year old girl digging a hole for literally no reason, but keep in mind I've got ADHD and get bored pretty easily. While I was digging said hole, I thought of Percy Jackson... and my mind went from one thing to the next and here I am. I'm currently working on a Young Justice X Percy Jackson fanfic, but this one shot sounded too good to pass up. Anyways, let's begin!**

**Third Person POV**

It was three years after the Second Giant War. Three years of pain, sorrow, trials, love, marriage, and even children for Percy and Annabeth Jackson. Not even a month had passed after the war that Percy proposed, and Annabeth accepted. On their honeymoon, they had a deep discussion about family, seeing as how demigods didn't live for very long and they were already pretty old for demigod standards, the newly wed Jacksons decided it was time. And so, nine months later, Persephone Zoë Jackson was born. Almost two years later, Charlotte Silena Jackson was born.

Two days was all Percy had with his newborn daughter.

Being Mr. D's replacement and helping Chiron direct the camp meant taking care of the children, reguardless of the parents, personality, etc, etc. So when a daughter of Nemesis came stumbling up the hill only to be dragged away screaming, Percy had to do something. He dashed to Thalia's Tree, pulling Riptide out faster than the eye could blink, and raced down the hill, only to be whacked in the face by a tree thrown his way. Percy was stuck, and barely had time to blink before a large hoof was smashed through his skull, killing him almost instantly.

And after that instant hit, Percy's soul was stolen.

Annabeth cried for weeks on end after hearing of her husband's death. He only made it to 20, his birthday not even a month away. Although left heartbroken, the blonde widow continued to raise Persephone (Percy for short) and Charlotte (Charlie for short) on her own.

Years passed, and although the pain lessened, Annabeth's love for her deceased husband never faded. So when a 17 year old Percy and 15 year old Charlie had decided to go to Montauk, a small beach only 45 minutes away, for the weekend, Annabeth broke down crying. She hadn't expected her children to plan her a birthday trip behind her back, and they mistook her tears of pain for tears of joy.

Annabeth went along with the plan anyways.

It's not like she had much of a choice. And as much as she wished to stay home under her blankets in bed, she didn't want the smiles on her children's face to go away just yet.

She had never taken them to the beach, for the smell, the waves, the color, _everything_ reminded her of _him_. She missed him. She wanted him. No, she _needed_ him.

Within the hour, they were packed and ready to go. Annabeth gave her daughters a shaky smile before their trip began. She thought of him the entire way there, about his jet black hair, his sea green eyes, his lopsided grin, even his stupid remarks that almost got him killed ninety percent of the time.

She had never told her kids anything about him, nothing at all. Bringing up memories of him hurt. A lot. And so the two daughters had learned over time not to ask their mother what happened to his father. They simply knew that he was "gone". They never received a _real_ answer, and were left wondering if their father was dead, gone forever, or simply left them with their mother, seeing them all as problems that were no longer his to deal with. Their mom would always say, "Your father is gone. I'll never get to see him again..."

How were the girls to know that their father was a hero? That he died protecting others? That his soul was _stolen,_ and still had yet to be _found?_ Hades, Nico, and even Hazel still looked for the lost Hero of Olympus 15 years after his death. They would send out search parties once every three months, only to find nothing. Every. Single. Time. She still had not told her girls anything, even about their godly heritage. Sometimes, they'd get to see their grandpa and step grandma, but they didn't know Annabeth's mother wasn't her real one, it was always just "grandma". They visited Nana Sally on the weekends, as well as Papa Paul, but never knew about their _real_ grandfather. The only reason the monsters had yet to hunt them down was because of the seashell anklet that Percy always wore and the owl earrings that Charlie never removed. Enchantments places by Hecate herself, to ward off any smells the two legacies might emit. Annabeth's wedding ring was enchanted, which consisted a simple band with emeralds and diamonds and a _PA, Together Forever _engraved on the back, as well as a heart with two words next to it: _Wise Girl. _The message was clear: Even in death, Percy still loved and protected his beloved.

"Mom? We're here. Hellooooo?" A hand was waved in front of Annabeth's face. Her steely gray eyes, which had softened to a dull gray over the years, blinked before turning to the blonde haired, sea green eyed girl sitting in the passenger seat.

Annabeth smiled at her eldest daughter. "Sorry Percy, I was just thinking, that's all."

"About dad?" Percy smacked Charlie on the shoulder, hissing angrily while Annabeth flinched.

"We aren't supposed to talk about him! Shaddup, nimrod!"

"It's fine, honey. Now, let's go look at the cabin."

They all went up to the cabin, enjoying Italian food an hour later before promptly falling asleep. The next morning consisted of two teenagers jumping excitedly on their mother's bed.

"Happy birthday mom!"

"Yeah, Yeah! Hey, can we go watch the sunrise? Huh mom?"

Annabeth couldn't help but laugh at her girls. Although a lot had happened, her daughters were a constant bright spot in her life. She got up, letting the girls change into bathing suits and grab towels, boogie boards, and even plastic buckets and shovels for sandcastles. As they walked down to the beach, Annabeth couldn't help but smile warmly at the waves, the wind caressing her cheeks. "Hello, Seaweed Brain," she whispered, and she could feel the wind push her back a little bit more. She laughed to herself as she sat in the sand. "I missed you too." She had always thought that she would be too depressed to come back, but she felt, for the first time in years, at peace.

She couldn't help but smile at her daughters as they dug in the sand, having an argument about who could make a better hole. Percy's straightened blonde hair with strips of blue in a half up hairstyle made Annabeth laugh. Percy was a perfect mix of her parents, judging by her semi-permanent dyed strands of hair and her perfectionist style towards her sandy walls. Percy was similar to her father; her love for the color blue, her obvious affection towards water, and her aggressive and sarcastic nature. Percy was also similar to Annabeth, with her long, blonde hair, her neatness and organization, and even the way she learned to refrain herself from lashing out at people (sometimes).

Charlie, on the other hand, had Annabeth's steely gray eyes and black, curly hair that was pulled into a high ponytail. She was very openly aggressive, and was so good at comebacks that it was a little frightening. Charlie has decided to dig her hole straight down as far as she could, while Percy opted for building up a wall, slowly digging the hole and using the sand to build the wall up while she dug down.

Annabeth returned her attention to the ocean, closing her eyes and listening to the waves crash against the shore, the smell of the ocean wafting up her nose, the strong ocean breeze rushing past her face, whipping her wild, untamed locks everywhere.

Sighing at hearing her name (her motherly name, not her actual name), Annabeth got up, walking over to Charlie.

"Mom, mom! Look at my hole! It's already up to my knees!"

"That's amazing, honey! Why is there water in it, though?"

Charlie scowled. "Well, I've reached the watery part. Ya know, I've dug so deep that the water's just coming straight outta the ground! I didn't bring a bucket, though, and Percy won't let me use hers to get the water out!"

Percy looked up, rolling her eyes. "Uh, no derp. Of course I won't let you use my resources. Go find your own!" She went right back to work, ignoring Charlie's squabbling.

Annabeth laughed, watching Charlie intently before walking over to Percy. Said person looked up, smiling brightly at her mother, her blue rubber bands on her braces blatantly obvious. "Hey, mom! You wanna help me build my walls? Charlie's stupid; her hole has no support and is gonna cave in on itself. I know that mine will do the same thing, but it'll last a little longer than hers." Percy snickered, before her eyes went wide with realization. "Oh! Also, I forgot to tell you this-" her ADHD was just as bad as her father's, "-but there was a man that came up to Charlie and I a few minutes ago."

Annabeth scrunched her face up. This "man" could be anything but a man, as far as she knew. "What did he look like?"

Percy cocked her head to the side, looking like a confused puppy dog. "Well, he was tall. Oh! And he had inky place hair, like Charlie's, but it was sorta wavy and untamable like mine. Ya know how frizzy my hair gets. I blame you for that. Anyways, he had these really pretty eyes. Like, sea green eyes, and he was wearing this orange shirt that said something in a weird looking language, almost like Greek, but _not_ Greek, ya know? I could read it fine, too, which is _really_ strange if you ask me. And he had on some tan shorts and black flip flops. He asked what I was doing, and I told him I was digging a hole, and he told Charlie and I that we were doing great and should keep up the great work. Anyways, nice dude, don't know where he went, but he seemed pretty chill. I think he knew you, too. He said to say something like "Tell Wise Girl I love her", or something like that. You're the only smart person I know, so he _had _to mean you. But who was he, mom?"

Annabeth had spaces out halfway through the conversation, instead looking around the beach frantically. She could see a man-no, a teenager- standing in the surf, staring directly at her. He smiled, a lip sided grin adorning his face, before he turned around, walking into the water.

Annabeth ran after him.

"Percy! Percy, wait! PERCY! SEAWEED BRAIN! PLEASE!" She was crying, sprinting to the man who was waist deep into the water. She could vaguely her her daughter asking what she wanted, but she continued forwards. The man turned around, and although he was slightly transparent, it was _definitely _the man she loved who's soul had gone missing over 15 years ago.

"Hi, Wise Girl."

"Percy." It was breathless, only one word, but it held so many emotions that it was difficult to describe.

"Happy 35th birthday. Wow, you're old." She gave a half hearted glare while Percy just laughed. "Ya know, your glared have turned into puppy dog eyes." Annabeth cracked a small smile, tears still running down her face. "I've been waiting for fifteen years, ya know? My dad, he felt that I'd died at the peak of my life, just when I was relaxing, and all because of the stupid Minotaur. It's ironic, ya know? I was trying to save the daughter of the goddess of _revenge_. Obviously, ol' meat sack got his revenge. Probably a bunch of bragging rights, too. Ya know the story of the little mrermaid, right? And I don't mean the Disney Version where she lives happily ever after. I'm talking about the one where she turns into sea foam, and becomes part of the sea. Well, that sorta happened to me. I mean, I'm not _sea foam_ or anything like that, but my dad brought me to uncle Z, and he agreed to make me a minor god even though I'm dead. He said that once you pass on, then I can go to Elysium with you, if you want. And then we can see everyone else, and-"

Annabeth couldn't wait any longer. She reached a hand out, and when she felt warmth under her fingertips, she clamped onto the son of Poseidon, kissing him for what felt like forever in the moment and lasted a second when they pulled away.

The next thing she did was slap him.

"Hey! I can't leave the ocean, alright? I was _waiting _for fifteen _years_ and you never _once_ went near the ocean." He crosses his arms, a mock look of pain on his face. The twenty year old godly ghost clutched at his chest, his other hand placed against his forehead. "Oh! I'm dying! All these years I thought you loved me!"

Annabeth punched Percy's arm, laughing. By now, both girls had walked over to their mother, eyeing the strange man cautiously. "Mom, who's this?"

Percy blinked at the blonde haired, sea green eyed girl standing in front of him. "Wise Girl, is... is that...?" He raised a shaky finger, pointing it at Percy Jr.

Annabeth laughed, nodding her head. "Yes, Percy, it's her."

Persephone blinked, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Wait a second, I thought I was named after-"

She didn't get to finish before Percy grabbed both of his daughters, hugging them tightly. He let them go, although he still had a hand on each of their shoulders, looking between the two. "Oh my gods! You've both gotten so big! Persephone, my gods, you're like your mother! And Charlotte-we still named her that, right honey?" Annabeth nodded, and he continued. "Oh, Charlotte! You look like your mom too! I can't believe how big you've grown!" Percy let go of their shoulders, crossing his arms again. "I still can't believe that your mother hadn't brought you to the ocean until now. I swear to the gods, if you hadn't of come along within the year I would've died of a heart attack!"

Annabeth gave him the most deadpanned look. "Percy, you're already dead."

He blinked owlishly. "Oh yeah, huh?" He scratched the back of his head, something both daughters blinked at. Charlie looked confused, but Persephone had put the pieces together rather quickly.

"D...Dad...?"

Percy nodded excitedly. "Uh huh!" When he saw both of his daughters' shocked looks, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "Did Annie not talk about me?" He turned to Annabeth. "Sweetie, did you _not talk about me?!?!_"

Annabeth looked down, staring into the knee deep water. "Umm... how about we talk about this somewhere a little less... _oceany?_ The water's a little cold."

Percy rolled his eyes, waving his hand, ignoring his daughters gasp as the water went around them, the sand beneath their toes dry as if it were in the sun all day and not underwater two seconds ago. "For the daughter of Athena, that wasn't your wisest excuse, honey."

Annabeth blinked, sighed, and then sat down, the remaining three sitting down as well. With questioningly looks from the children, Annabeth crossed her arms, sticking her nose into the air. "So, I might've kept your father and our heritage a secret from you two, but it was for your own good."

Percy's face scrunched up, anger showing in his eyes. "You seriously didn't tell them _anything_? Annabeth, why not? I thought I'd talked to the gods about claiming their children already! They should be going to camp by now!"

"Percy, they're _legacies!_ They aren't _demigods_, but _children_ of demigods, which means the gods don't have to claim them at all! I _asked _the gods to leave us alone. I didn't _want_ them to _ever_ have to know about Camp!" Percy's face turned into a frown, before turning completely blank faced. His eyes showed how hurt he was, though.

"I understand." He stood up, towering over the three that were sitting down. He turned around, ignoring the sound of Annabeth standing up, the girls doing the same. "Happy birthday, Annabeth. Enjoy your _normal, average_ trip. Hope it lasts eternity." He began walking away, ignoring the protests from Annabeth. However, he did turn around for his children. "If you ever find yourself seeking guidance, comfort, anything at all, come to me. Anywhere, as long as you're near the ocean, I can help." He took a quick glance at Annabeth before wading into the water, disappearing under the surf.

The three women stood there as the once dry spot that Percy held was once again buried beneath the waves, forcing the Jackson family to return to shore. The girls turned on their mother, demanding answers.

And answers they got. That night, on the shore and sitting around the fire roasting marshmallows, Annabeth explained everything. She explained her childhood, Percy's childhood, the gods, Camp Half-Blood, the first time they met, their quests, the wars, even Tartarus (she left out most of the gory parts), and eventually Percy's death.

By the end, all of them were quiet, the crackling of the fire and the waves crashing the only noise heard. A shadow loomed over them, before sitting down next to Annabeth. "Sorry for blowing up on you, Wise Girl. I didn't mean to do that. I messed up your special day, didn't I?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No, you didn't. I delayed the inevitable. I'm just glad that I get to see you now, and that I know where to find you."

"Yeah, no kidding. We've been searching for years. No wonder we didn't find you, Perce." They turned around, staring into the obsidian eyes of Nico Di'Angelo. "You were in your dad's domain and Zeus and Poseidon kept your godhood a secret. No wonder your soul was 'stolen.'"

Percy smiled, standing up and hugging his cousin, Nico surprisingly hugging back. "Good to see you, Death Breath."

"You too, Kelp Head."

Everyone talked for a while, and Nico IMed Hazel and Haded to let them know that Percy had been found. By the end of the night, everyone that knew Percy was there, ranging from the Seven to the Stolls. Of course Hazel had told Frank, who told Jason, who told Piper, who told Leo, who told _everyone_, and Annabeth, Percy, Persephone and Charlie were surrounded by halfbloods who were drinking, laughing, fighting, and just talking with one another. It was a joyous time. Even the Hunters of Artemis were there (Thalia had practically zapped Percy to death even though he was already dead). Rachel had food sent, and everyone ate, danced, and had an overall great time until morning arrived. They even sang Annabeth happy birthday, and when she blew out the candle on her marble cake, she whispered into Percy's ear:

"As long as we're together..."

Before everyone left, Percy told them that if they were to ever need him, then he'd be there (well, they'd have to come to _him,_ but they got the idea). Many tears were shed, and Grover refused to let Percy go for over an hour. Even Sally didn't hold onto Percy for that long!

Eventually it was just Annabeth, Percy, Persephone and Charlotte. Percy smiled, hugging all three of them before waving goodbye, turning into a shimmering silvery blue dust that flew in the ocean wind.

Within a month, the Jacksons moved to Montauk, buying the tiny cabin that they had stayed in not long ago. Percy Jr. and Charlie went to Camp Half-Blood for the summers, laughing and learning more about themselves than they ever thought they would. Annabeth went to the sea every day, morning and evening, sometimes staying there all day, just sitting with Percy.

Years upon years upon years went by, and an 89 year old woman with silvery princess curly hair and an orange shirt sat on the beach, smiling at a twenty year old boy, their children and grandchildren crying as the twenty year old kissed his lover for the last time, her last breath escaping her old, withered body and getting lost in the ocean breeze. Tears were shed, but they all knew that she would be back. A shroud was burnt for the deceased daughter of Athena, but everyone knew where she went.

With permission from Athena, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, Annabeth Jackson was turned into a minor god, and could watch over her family with her lover in Poseidon's domain until the two were ready for Elysium. Hades gave them access to go to and from the Underworld, so the married couple were always visiting both living and deceased friends and family.

Annabeth and Percy never truly left. Legends were passed across the globe.

If anyone, _anyone_, ever needed to talk, to cry, to depend on someone, then the two greatest Heroes of Olympus would be there, listening to every word you had to share with them, waiting patiently on the ocean shore.

**I hope you all enjoyed this one shot! You probably didn't know this, but I've got a younger sister, and she was represented by Charlie, while I represented Persephone. My sister and I both look like Percy Jr, not like Charlie, but I just _had_ to include Annabeth's eyes and Percy's silky smooth hair. Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this one-shot! Please Read and Review!**

**Love,**

**sKaEtrgrL**


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